The present invention relates to a sewing machine and a computer-readable medium storing a program for sewing a buttonhole. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a sewing machine that is capable of sewing a buttonhole and a computer-readable medium storing a program for sewing a buttonhole that is executable on a sewing machine.
Conventionally, when sewing a buttonhole with a sewing machine, a buttonhole-sewing holding member such as those disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication Nos. Sho 59-57689 and Sho 59-62083 have been used. The buttonhole-sewing holding member includes a presser foot to be attached to a presser bar and a presser frame mounted to the presser foot. The presser frame is mounted to the presser foot in such a manner that the presser frame can relatively move in a direction in which work cloth is fed. More specifically, the presser foot is fixed to the presser bar, while the presser frame moves together with the work cloth as sewing goes on, and the presser frame slides with respect to the presser foot. Further, to a rear end of the presser frame, a positioning member is provided. A button may be placed on the positioning member. A dog provided to the positioning member may move in accordance with a diameter of the button. A head portion of the sewing machine has a switch that includes a lever that can be pulled down to the vicinity of the buttonhole-sewing holding member. The switch can detect a contact between the lever and the dog provided to the buttonhole-sewing holding member. With such a configuration, sewing of a buttonhole in its longitudinal direction (overcasting of one of its hems) may proceed until the dog contacts the lever, whereupon it is determined that the sewing for a necessary length has been completed. Subsequently, a bar tack is sewn, and sewing back in the longitudinal direction (overcasting of the other hem) may be performed. In such a manner, the length of the buttonhole may automatically be determined in accordance with the diameter of the button. The sewing machine that utilizes the buttonhole-sewing holding member does not use the lever of the switch in ordinary sewing other than buttonhole sewing. Accordingly, this type of sewing machine may employ such a mechanism as to store the lever in its head portion. Therefore, when sewing a buttonhole, a user of the sewing machine may need to lower the lever stored in the head portion of the sewing machine.
Further, in an automatic buttonholer of a sewing machine disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. Sho 54-76348,an arm portion of the sewing machine is equipped with a mechanism to detect a size of a button. A hole is formed in the arm portion and has a slide volume control fitted in the hole. By placing a button in this hole and sandwiching the button between a slider of the slide volume control and a side wall of the hole, a voltage is output that has a magnitude in accordance with a diameter of the button. Furthermore, another slide volume control is provided to a buttonhole-sewing holding member, and a voltage is output that has a magnitude in accordance with a distance by which the slide volume control has moved (by which a work cloth has moved). Then, the buttonhole may be sewn in accordance with the diameter of the button and the amount of movement of the work cloth. Further, in an automatic buttonhole forming apparatus of a sewing machine disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Utility Model Publication No. Sho 54-119760,a thickness and a diameter of a button are measured electrically with a slide volume control.